A bidet is a low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the genitalia, inner buttocks, and anus. Originally a French word, in English bidet is pronounced /bɪˈdeɪ/ (US) or /ˈbiːdeɪ/ (UK).
Sounds lovely doesn't it?
Us Americans, who aren't used to seeing these extra fixtures in our bathrooms automatically condemn them. Calling them disgusting, strange or....European. We blow off such oddities, dismissing them as unusual and unnecessary objects.
Because, you want to know....don't they have toilet paper in Portugal? Aren't bidets a thing of the past? Why do they still put them in new construction?
And the question that's eating away at you......go ahead and ask it....
"Do you guys actually use those things?!"
Well, my answer is this...
unashamedly, I say ...... YES I use them, and I couldn't imagine life without them now that I've gotten used to them.
Before you start grossing out, listen to all these cool uses the bidet has.
Not only are they good for cleaning 'down under' but they are good for....
soaking clothes, or washing delicates.
scrubbing dirty flip-flops
bathing babies (Justice had quick baths in the bidet until about 6 months ago)
washing feet before bedtime
The list of things one could use a bidet for is endless. My Grandmother would have loved to have one of these in her bathroom. She gave me baths with sloppy wet wash cloths before bed each night that left the floor and my pj's drenched. A bidet would have been nice back then.
One family who never used their bidet in the conventional way, scrubbed it up real good, placed a mirror behind the faucet and let their little girl use it as her own personal sink. Where she washed her hands and even brushed her teeth. It was the perfect size for her.
When I'm rich and old and retired (yeah right) I'll build a house somewhere on the eastern boarder of America, and you can bet all of my bathrooms will contain a bidet.
Stay tuned for another installment to....
European Living.
14 comments:
This is so funny. I have been contemplating the idea of doing a post putting a photo of one of those and asking who knows what that is.
It is so funny whenever we have american visitors no one know what that is...
Yours is fancy though with the little design and everything :)
funny! The orphanages have these installed here too!!! We do not have one...Russian apartments have toilet rooms that are hardly big enough for your knees not to touch the door while sitting!!!
That is too funny! I'm not sure I ever would have thought of all those uses. But after you mention them, I could see how it would work!
Looking forward to the next installment!
You are too funny! But, you know, you have enlightened me on the many uses of that bathroom fixture and I would like one, too.
I look forward to your many interesting posts.
Judy
Going for the shocking! Great job with this!
Yes, I love our bidet too! They are great feet washers and for the down under! jeje.. Love em! Gotta have em!
I took a picture too for my mom when we first moved here. They were confusing to everyone. LOL
well I wouldn 't wash my clothes or baby in a bum sink....only my dog.
Wow, that sounds like a pretty useful fixture. I want one!
...and Amrita's comment cracked me up. I don't know why.
You're not going to believe this, but I was actually thinking it would probably be nice to have one of these. I mean, what kid wipes well? I think it would be good for our family. I never even considered all its' other uses.
You're lucky you've got one! I wonder if FringeMan will get me a bidet...
-FringeGirl
What a great way to use your bidet! Very creative.
We have one too, but don´t use it at all, except to put my clothes in while I take a shower... :)
If you've got one use it, but if you don't then you should get a hand held bathroom bidet sprayer because it is so much better than a stand alone bidet or bidet seat and this is why: 1.It's less expensive (potentially allot less) 2.You can install in yourself = no plumber expense 3.It works better by providing more control of where the water spray goes and a greater volume of water flow. 4.It requires no electricity and there are few things that can go wrong with it. 5.It doesn't take up any more space, many bathrooms don't have room for a stand alone bidet. 6.You don’t have to get up and move from the toilet to the bidet(for the stand alones) which can be rather awkward at times to say the least. Available at http://www.bathroomsprayers.com One review: http://jonathanandandrea.blogspot.com/2009/04/spray-it-or-scrub-it.html
How funny, I can't even tell you how long I have wanted to write this post and just couple make myself.
We don't use ours too much, sometimes but defiantly not for the uses you mentioned although those are good ones. Our bidet is holding a basket full of magazines and appropriate bathroom reads. :0)
What a funny post. I had never thought of all of the uses for a bidet.
Hope your day is blessed!
~Charree
You will have to demonstrate "down under" when I come in July. This should be interesting. I may just stick with the shower!
Hugs!
My parents had a bidet in their bathroom in the house they built when I was a kid. I thought it was the craziest thing I had ever seen. Us kids were never told how to really use it. Thanks for the tutorial.
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